"A child is an uncut diamond"
(Austin O' Malley)
Children are little angels, innocent of any evil with no predujice and vices in their pure hearts. These flowers are unaware of the heinous intentions of the people surrounding them, engrossed in their own worlds, not hurting anyone, not inflicting pain on anyone and being nothing but a source of joy for all.
However, the world has turned into such a dark and horrid place where people have lost their humanity altogether. Innocent children are now being targeted all over the world for various reasons such as to earn ransom by kidnapping them, to use them for beggary, to sell them to the highest of bidders for prostitution and such and/or to abduct and murder them for their body parts and organs.
“It's the children the world almost breaks who grow up to save it.”
(Frank Warren)
While cases of Child abduction and abuse is not that rare of an occurance in Pakistan, it has now risen to a level that is alarming to even the most ignorent of people. About 600 cases of child abduction have been reported in the past couple of months alone, mostly from different areas of Punjab, particularly Lahore. The police, however, is in denial claiming that the media is exaggerating the numbers which is obviously not true because a new kidnapping case emerges everyday with parents protesting sometimes by burning tires on the streets and complaining that the police and the government is unresponsive and not doing their best to find their kids.
The supreme court took notice and has called for senior police officers and IG police Punjab, Mushtaq Sukhera, to present a report on all the events involved. The opposition parties, such as Tehreek-e-insaf, have decided to raise the matter in the Punjab Assembly in order to find a solution to the burgeoning issue. The government has responded by announcing the introduction of a digital Child Abduction Alert System, that would have a developed database of missing children and will work by disseminating this gathered data to the relevant officials in order to make it easy for them to trace the children. Moreover, training programs for volunteers who will raise awareness and provide guidance to the public at large on how to avoid kidnappings will also be initiated by the government. The Prime Minister played his part by instructing concerned officials to increase sharing of intelligence and enhance cooperation between the federal and provincial units to combat the increasing trend of child abduction.
The question that comes up in the mind of all is if this is enough? Giving a statement, compiling reports and plans on introducing a new software, etc. are not going to bring a child back. The police is adamant and no efforts are being made to improve this department. The police are there to provide us protection but time and again they have failed to do so. How can i person sleep peacefully at night or remain calm after dropping his kid at school in a country where everything is so unpredictable and where the police fails to take responsibility for protecting the citizens. What are they there for?
Right now, however, one thing that the parents can do is to teach their children about safety and personal protection and about being cautious without adding to their fears and scaring them. They should be taught to
Nothing can be more tragic for a parent than losing his child. In our society the unfortunate reality remains that people and government both are numb to other people's problem and woes. Lack of empathy and concern for the well being of others and active engagement in selfish pursuits is the norm in Pakistan. Only when a tragedy strikes close to home is when someone wakes up a little. Media alone can do nothing if the people themselves do not fight for their rights, safety and protection being one of the most fundamental ones. The need of the hour is to not ignore what is happening, to unite and to urge the government and all others involved to ensure the safe arrival of the lost ones, to prevent future incidents and punish the perpetrators in the severest way possible so as to set an example for anyone who dares to even think of playing with the lives of our children.
The supreme court took notice and has called for senior police officers and IG police Punjab, Mushtaq Sukhera, to present a report on all the events involved. The opposition parties, such as Tehreek-e-insaf, have decided to raise the matter in the Punjab Assembly in order to find a solution to the burgeoning issue. The government has responded by announcing the introduction of a digital Child Abduction Alert System, that would have a developed database of missing children and will work by disseminating this gathered data to the relevant officials in order to make it easy for them to trace the children. Moreover, training programs for volunteers who will raise awareness and provide guidance to the public at large on how to avoid kidnappings will also be initiated by the government. The Prime Minister played his part by instructing concerned officials to increase sharing of intelligence and enhance cooperation between the federal and provincial units to combat the increasing trend of child abduction.
The question that comes up in the mind of all is if this is enough? Giving a statement, compiling reports and plans on introducing a new software, etc. are not going to bring a child back. The police is adamant and no efforts are being made to improve this department. The police are there to provide us protection but time and again they have failed to do so. How can i person sleep peacefully at night or remain calm after dropping his kid at school in a country where everything is so unpredictable and where the police fails to take responsibility for protecting the citizens. What are they there for?
Right now, however, one thing that the parents can do is to teach their children about safety and personal protection and about being cautious without adding to their fears and scaring them. They should be taught to
- Avoid talking to strangers and accepting gifts from them
- Avoid going to any place with a stranger no matter how tempting he/she makes it seem.
- To scream and run if someone tries to follow them or force them to come somewhere with them.
- Discuss it with you or any other trustworthy adult in case they feel scared and uneasy about something or someone
- Never leave the house without permission
- Never open the door for a stranger
- Know their home number, address and your contact number
These tips should be remembered and taught to the children repeatedly as a mantra so that they remain cautious and remember what to do if a bad situation comes up.
Nothing can be more tragic for a parent than losing his child. In our society the unfortunate reality remains that people and government both are numb to other people's problem and woes. Lack of empathy and concern for the well being of others and active engagement in selfish pursuits is the norm in Pakistan. Only when a tragedy strikes close to home is when someone wakes up a little. Media alone can do nothing if the people themselves do not fight for their rights, safety and protection being one of the most fundamental ones. The need of the hour is to not ignore what is happening, to unite and to urge the government and all others involved to ensure the safe arrival of the lost ones, to prevent future incidents and punish the perpetrators in the severest way possible so as to set an example for anyone who dares to even think of playing with the lives of our children.
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